Hold Me Down
by articcat621
Summary: Seeing the two of them on her doorstep late one night was the last thing Hermione ever expected. The events that followed were even more unexpected.
1. Chapter One

A/N: Finally posting the first chapter of what will be a multichaptered fic. Updates may be slow, but I hope you all enjoy this anyways. xoxo

Many thanks to gaeilgerua for looking this over.

Disclaimer: The characters and canon situations in the following story belong solely to JK Rowling, Scholastic and WB. I am not making any money from the publishing or writing of this story.

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Hermione's hands trembled. She couldn't believe that the battle was over. Voldemort had finally been defeated, but at what cost? The death of so many?

As she looked around the ruins of Hogwarts, her heart ached painfully. The price of winning had been far too high. She took a few steps forward, wandering aimlessly. She knew that she should be inside, with Harry and the Weasleys, mourning the loss of Fred. She should be mourning the loss of Tonks and Remus. Lavender. Colin.

She took in a shaky breath. Glancing at the wand in her hand, Hermione felt completely lost. Was magic worth all the pain that she felt? Did she make the right choices? What if she had left with her parents?

Not knowing what else to do or where to go, Hermione drifted her way down to the Great Lake. She took a seat, gazing at the lake. She could see the Giant Squid move beneath the dark surface of the lake.

Now that she was completely alone, Hermione allowed herself to cry. The tears fell quickly, running down her cheeks. She couldn't catch her breath, sniffing loudly. It wasn't fair. None of it was fair.

"Are you all right?"

Startled, Hermione turned, wand raised. She relaxed slightly when she saw Theo Nott standing there. He held his hands up to show her that he meant no harm. Hermione lowered her wand.

"Are you all right?" he asked once more.

"No," she whispered, hating how broken she sounded. Her hands clenched into fists in her lap. "No, I am not all right." She reached up, wiping the tears from her face. While she only knew Theo from their short time studying together during Ancient Runes, she knew that he wouldn't hurt her.

"Me either," Theo announced, taking a seat next to her. "I had to get away from the smell…"

Hermione nodded numbly. She knew what he meant. The scent of smoke and death surrounded Hogwarts. It was enough to turn anyone's stomach. She could still smell the iron from the dried blood on her own body.

She began to cry once more, unable to stop. Theo took her into his arms, holding her tightly as she cried. He stroked her hair, holding her. From the way his own body shook, Hermione knew that Theo was crying too.

* * *

She didn't see Theo again after their meeting by the lake. It had been a strange encounter, but she hadn't given it much thought. Every so often, however, her thoughts would drift to Theo. She wondered where he was and how he was doing.

"Hermione."

She shook her head, glancing up at Harry. "Sorry," she apologised, knowing that she often got distracted when others were talking.

"I really think you should see someone," Harry said firmly. He looked at her sympathetically. "You don't sleep anymore, you barely eat… I'm worried for you. Ron is too."

"You told him?" Hermione snapped angrily. The only way Ron would know was if Harry had told him, as Ron had moved to Romania to live with Charlie shortly after the battle had ended.

"How could I not?" Harry retorted. "Look at yourself. You have circles beneath your eyes that I'm sure are permanent. You never gained the weight you lost while we were on the run, in fact, you look like you've lost even more. It's not healthy, Hermione."

"Don't you think I know that?" Hermione hissed. "I don't need you babying me, Harry."

He looked hurt at her words. "You know I'm only doing it because I care, Hermione. Please, let me take you to St. Mungo's."

Hermione shook her head. "Harry… I…" She shook her head a second time. "I'm fine," she lied. "Totally fine."

"I don't believe you."

"Doesn't matter," Hermione retorted, standing. "I love you, Harry, but just stop, okay? I'm an adult. I can handle this." Leaving a Galleon on the table to cover the price of her coffee, Hermione stormed from the café angrily.

Once she was in Diagon Alley, Hermione Disapparated to the small flat she owned on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. Once inside, she headed towards her bedroom, grabbing one of the phials of Dreamless Sleep. She drank it, falling onto her bed in exhaustion. Hopefully, she'd be able to actually sleep.

* * *

Groggily, Hermione opened her eyes when she heard a knocking on her front door. Slipping on her bathrobe, Hermione made her way down the stairs. She gripped her wand tightly, the paranoia consuming her. It was five in the morning… Who would be disturbing her at this time?

She opened her front door, wand at the ready in case it was someone who meant her harm. A small gasp of shock escaped her lips as she stared at the sight before her. Theo was holding up a bloodied Draco Malfoy. Theo himself was sporting a bruised eye.

"Theo?" she asked incredulously.

"Granger, please, help us."


	2. Chapter Two

A/N: Sorry for the delay, things have been crazy (I got married, yay!) Not yet currently beta'd, so pardon any mistakes. I hope ya'll enjoy.

Disclaimer: The characters and canon situations in the following story belong solely to JK Rowling, Scholastic and WB. I am not making any money from the publishing or writing of this story.

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

Hermione's eyes widened in shock. "Theo? Malfoy?" Lowering her wand, she stepped aside. "Bring him in, " she said quickly, shaking herself out of her shock.

Theo struggled, but half-carried, half-dragged Draco into the small apartment. "Where?"

"Bring him to my bed," Hermione instructed. She closed the door and warded it shut before leading Theo to her bedroom. Once there, she helped Theo put Draco on her bed. Her hands were shaking, as the mere sight of Draco was giving her flashbacks to the final battle.

"What the fuck happened?" she asked, bossily pushing Theo out of the way so she could get a better look at Draco. She used her wand to vanish his shirt. There was a deep cut on his chest, and Hermione's eyes widened… She knew what caused that mark…

"Hermione, please, I don't know what to do," Theo begged, his eyes brimming with tears. "I couldn't get the bleeding to stop - it all happened so fast. I knew that you'd be able to help us with your Healer training."

"Theo, this… this is dark magic."

"Just please, stop the bleeding. Don't let Draco die." Theo was trembling uncontrollably.

Taking a deep breath to steady her own nerves, Hermione nodded. "Go to my cabinet in the bathroom. Grab a Blood-Replenishing Potion, a Sleeping Draught, the Essence of Dittany, the Murtlap Essence, and my Wound Cleaning Potion. The room across the hall."

Theo nodded. He dashed to the room mentioned.

Hermione's hands continued to shake. She pushed thoughts of _him_ from her mind as she needed to focus on Draco. Her best bet was to use the potions she told Theo to grab and Snape's healing incantations. She could see the previous scar from where Harry had cursed Draco back in their sixth year. This wound would also scar… she knew there was no removing it.

"Here you go," Theo said, carefully placing all the potions on the bed. "What can I do?"

"Give him the Sleeping Draught first; we need him to stay unconscious while I heal him," Hermione instructed. Grabbing the Wound Cleaning Potion, she carefully poured it on Draco's wound. That would help sterilise it somewhat before she began the healing process.

She watched Theo coax the Sleeping Draught down his throat. "Give him the Blood Replenishing Potion next… he's lost a lot of blood." It was clear from Draco's paler than usual complexion that he had lost a lot of blood.

Raising her wand, she began to trace the wound, chanting softly, " _Vulnera Sanentur_." She could feel Theo's gaze on her. She repeated the incantation two more times, her hands shaking more and more each time. When she was finished, she watched as she wound began to heal itself finally.

She took the Essence of Dittany and poured it over the wound, being more than generous with the amount of potion she used. Hands still shaking, she then grabbed the Murtlap Essence and poured it on as well.

She saw Theo's confused look and took a deep breath. "Both are necessary. The wound will scar regardless, and the effects of the curse are still unknown. I've done the best I can… Draco will live."

Using her wand, she syphoned all traces of blood from Draco's body and his remaining clothing. The wound was still red and raw, but it would heal.

Hermione turned to Theo, "We should let him rest." She tiredly left the bedroom and made her way to her sofa. She sat down on it, ignoring the way her body ached.

"Why are you so jittery?" Theo asked, sitting next to her on the sofa. When she looked away, he frowned. "I saw how you trembled the entire time. You were nervous about something, but it was more than that."

"I take Dreamless Sleep at night," Hermione snapped.

"So your body is protesting being awake," Theo surmised.

She looked at him and grabbed her wand. "Let me heal your eye."

Theo reached over, grabbing her wand and forcing her to lower it. "Leave it for now. You're clearly exhausted, and I know you spent a lot of magical energy healing Draco."

Hermione didn't fight him. She let out a shaky breath.

"Thank you for that, of course," Theo said softly. "I'm sorry to show up announced… I wasn't sure where to go."

"You don't have to thank me," Hermione countered. "I wouldn't have turned you away."

"I know you wouldn't, but most would have," Theo said somberly. He looked away from her, his cheeks turning red.

Hermione knew that Theo was right. The war was long over, but many still held prejudice over most Pureblood families. She knew that the Malfoy family was particularly being hated against because Draco and Narcissa had not faced any charges, and Lucius would likely be out of Azkaban within the next five years. There's no guarantee that someone else would have helped Draco as quickly as she had.

"You knew exactly what to do," Theo continued. "Your healing skills… well, it's clear you found your calling."

"Mmmm," Hermione murmured, looking down at her hands. They were shaking still, and the nerves she had previously pushed away were coming through.

"Have you finished your training? Or are you still working as an apprentice under a master?" Theo asked.

"I thought he was dead," she murmured quietly.

Theo looked at her in confusion. "Draco? No, I know he looked bad, but it wasn't that bad, was it?" When Hermione seemed frozen with a vacant expression on her face, he looked at her in concern. "Hermione?"

Hermione looked at Theo, fear on her face. She could fear the tears prick the corners of her eyes and she momentarily hated herself for feeling so weak. She hated that just thinking of him filled her with that intense fear. That the mere thought churned her stomach and made the scar on her chest ache in pain.

"It was him, wasn't it?"

"Hermione?" Theo reached out in concern, but his hand fell flat at her answer.

"Dolohov," she whispered.


End file.
